Brake-beam.



No. 762,287. 7 I PATENTED JUNBM, 1904. S. A. GRONE.

BRAKE BEAM.

APPLIUATIOR rum) APR. 18, 1904.

no MODEL.

mlllllmh- WITNESSES: INVENTOR fez/w! (707w I BY UNITE STATES Patented June 14, 1904.

SETH A. (JRONE, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

BRAKE-BEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,287, dated June 14, 1904.

Application filed April 18, 1904. Serial No. 203,555. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern.-

York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake-Beams, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in brake-beams; and it consists in the novel features hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Brake-beams of the class to which my invention pertains comprise a rolled body-beam of suitable length, brake-heads on the ends thereof to receive the brake-shoes, and means, such as a fulcrum, for pivotally receiving the brake-lever; and my invention has for its object to produce a novel body-beam for use in brake-beams, my purpose being to enhance the efliciency and durability of the beam and insure certainty of operation and convenince in its use.

The body-beams for brakes have heretofore ordinarily, though by no means exclusively, been formed of a length of rolled I- beam, and in use these I-beams extend transversely of the truck, with usually the flanges arranged vertically and the web horizontally. One objection to these beams has been a lack of strength therein in a vertical direction.

Another objection has been the fact that upon their upper surface they accumulate an excessive quantity of dirt and water and become rusty and corroded, and another objection is that the outer upwardly-extending flange of the beam has been of such character that it will frequently wedge against the adjacent side of the sand-plank or channel-bar of the truck and render the brakes inoperative, or at least unreliable. These several obj ections are overcome by my invention, by which I produce a novel beam of adequate strength in a vertical direction and one which will shed water and dust and not strike or wedge against the sand-plank or channel-bar, but, on the contrary, may at its outer edge project below said bar without any lowering of the beam for that purpose. The several purposes of my invention are accomplished by making the rolled body-beam of a new shape, more especially at its outer portion, and this shape may be understood by a comparison of it with the outer edge of the I-beam above referred to. At the outer edge of the I-beam the flange extends equally upwardly above and downward ly below the web, and in accordance with my invention I so roll the beam that that part of the metal which formed the upwardly-extending flange is substantially and preferably transferred into the downwardly-extending flange, with the result of not materially increasing the weight of the.beam, but giving the latter at its outer edge a downwardly-extending flange of increased strength and leaving the upper surface of the beam at its outer portion substantially smooth and flangeless, but providing a narrow rib thereon or adjacent thereto, although said rib in the preferred construction is not absolutely necessary and may be omitted.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of a car-truck and illustrates my new brake-beam in position and in its relation to the sand-plankor channel-bar. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detached perspective view of a portion of the body-beam embracing my invention, and Fig. 3 is a like view of a slightly-modified form of same.

In the drawings, 10 indicates a car-truck wheel, 11 the usual sand-plank or channel-bar, and 12 the body-beam for the brakes, said beam 12 extending transversely of the truck and carrying on its ends the heads 13 to receive the brake-shoes 14. The heads 13 and shoes 14: are of known construction. and in themselves form no essential part of the present invention, which resides solely in the construction of the body-beam 12 without regard to the details of the form of construction of the brake-heads and brake-shoes, which are ordinarily in their main parts of standard construction.

The body-beam 12 in its preferred form throughout comprises the horizontal web 15 and edge flanges 16 and 17, the flange 16 being at the inner edge of said web and extending vertically equally upwardly above and downwardly below said web and the flange 17 being at the outer edge of said web and extending downwardly therefrom a distance about equal to or a little less than the depth of the, flange 16 below said web. The flange 17 is thicker than the flange 16 and contains about as much metal as there is in the flange 16 above and below the web 15. For the sake of securing increased strength in a vertical direction I may provide the upper surface of the web 15 with a rib or flange 18, which will be less in height than the depth of the flange 17, said flanges 17 18, unlike the flange 16, being unequal and if considered as one flange in any sense being of greater extent at one side of the web 15 than at the other side thereof. The rib or flange 18 may be at the extreme outer edge of the beam, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or may be set inwardly from said edge, as shown in Fig. 3. When the rib or flange 18 is at the extreme outer edge of the beam 12, it should be of slight depth and rounded at its edges, so as not to strike the sand-plank or channel-bar 11 and in order that it may not unnecessarily retain water and foreign matter upon the upper surface of the web 15. When the rib or flange 18 is set inwardly from the extreme outer edge of the beam, as shown in Fig. 3, said edge is left entirely clear, and there is then less danger of the beam striking the sandplank or channel-bar 11 and of not shedding water and dust to the maximum degree.

The width of the beam 12 will preferably be sufficient to enable said beam to at all times extend at its outer edges below the sand-plank or channel-bar 11, as shown, this width of beam being possible of successful and convenient use in such relation to the said plank or bar and at the required elevation above the plane of the track-rails by reason of the fact that the flange 17 projects in a direction from said plank or bar and that the rib or flange 18 when used at all projects upwardly to too slight an extent to strike or wedge against said plank or bar. The thick flange 17 does not extend downwardly to any greater and preferably to a slightly less extent than the depth of the flange 16 below the web, and this is important, because it then is in no danger of striking rods or other parts found in some trucks below the brake-beams. The special thick flange 17 is of great utility in affording strength in a vertical direction and dispensing with an extended upwardly-projecting flange at the upper side of the outer edge of the beam, it not beingnecessary when said thick flange is present to have any rib or flange at the upper outer edge of the beam.

One of the advantages secured by my invention is that the beam may extend below and in near relation to the channel-bar or sandplank of a truck and also be brought to a proper elevation above the track-rails.

When the beam 12 is mounted in a truck, it inclines downwardly toward its outer edge, as shown, and hence the slight rounded rib. or flange 18, even when at the outer edge of the beam, will not to any great extent prevent water and foreign matter from passing off from the beam.

My invention results in the attainment of many advantages in brake-beams'without increasing the cost or complicating the same and without rendering necessary any changes in those features of body-beams, brake-heads, and brake-shoes regarded as standard.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A brake-beam comprising a rolled bodybeam having the horizontal web, flanged inner edge and the thick flange 17 at its outer edge and at one side of said web; substantially as set forth.

2. Abrake-beam comprising a rolled bodybeam having the horizontal web, flange 16 at its inner edge and flange 17 at its outer edge and at one side of said web, said flange 17 being of about the depth of the flange 16 at one side of said web and materially thicker than the same; substantially as set forth.

3. A brake-beam comprising a rolled bodybeam having the horizontal web, flanged inner edge and flanged outer edge, the flanges at the said outer edge being unequal in depth; substantially as set forth.

1. A brake-beam comprising a rolled bodybeam having the horizontal web, flanged inner edge, thick flange 17 at its outer edge and at one side of said web, and a rib or flange on the other side of said web and less in depth than said flange 17; substantially as set forth.

5. A brake-beam comprising a rolled bodybeam having the horizontal web, flange 16 extending upwardly and downwardly at its inner edge, a flange at its outer edge and at one side of said web, and a rib or flange on the other side of said web and less in depth than said flange at the outer edge of said web; substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 16th day of April, A. D. 1904.

SETH A. CRONE. Witnesses:

CHAS. C. GILL, ARTHUR MARION. 

